Many people suffer from visual dysfunction which is often a result of inadequate innervation to the muscles associated with the eyes. Each eye is supported by six extra occular skeletal muscles which coordinate the movements of the eye allowing the eyes to move synchronously. The extra occular muscles of each eye function in combination resulting in normal or standard visual perception. When the extra occular muscles do not function properly, perceptual errors occur as a result of the misalignment of the eyes. This dysfunction relative to denervation is characterized by in the loss of controlled eye movement which may cause the eye to "drift". A person suffering from the resulting muscle dysfunction is only capable of properly focusing with one eye at a time, thereby reducing image and depth perception.
It is believed that this type of eye muscle dysfunction is due in part to minute lapses in stimulation of the muscles from certain nerve sources, particularly the third, fourth and possibly sixth cranial nerves. The muscle dysfunction results in the transmission of wrong information to the brain, thereby fostering functional problems in many areas such as academics, leisure, and work. Typical behavior of an individual suffering from such visual dysfunction includes clumsiness, frequent spills, poor hand-eye coordination during target sports, etc. Inadequate muscle stimulation is also believed to cause, at least in part, dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, perceptual aberrations, strabismus and ptosis.
Many times people with visual dysfunction turn to surgery to attempt to correct the muscle condition. However, as with most surgical procedures, there are many risks involved which increase the risk of the reduction of or even loss of sight. Additionally, surgical procedures primarily offer cosmetic results. Because these surgical techniques have not been adequately perfected, many people are not in favor of and avoid this solution.
Additionally, there are noninvasive therapeutic techniques available for strengthening the eye muscles. These techniques include eye muscle exercises and the placement of a patch over the user's eye having normal muscle function which strengthens the weak muscles in the other eye through passive exercise. These techniques typically do not produce significant improvements. Furthermore, it is difficult to persuade young children to wear the patch because of teasing by other children.
The present invention is directed to a noninvasive method and device for improving innervation to extra occular muscles to improve the muscle function of a user's eye and thereby overcome visual/perceptual dysfunction. The device, in one embodiment, is placed proximate to the inner canthus or bridge of the nose and a low voltage electrical stimulus is intermittently applied to the user. By providing a cyclic flow of electrons to the nerve bifurcation located at the inner canthus, nerve function is enhanced, producing enriched action potential which improves synapses and as a result improves muscle function. The stimulated muscles prevent the drifting of the eye, thereby improving visual perception by assisting in focusing both eyes on a single location.